Reception staff were polite, friendly and helpful. I was given an upgraded room owing to my having a medium sized suitcase with me. However, even the room I was allocated was 'bijou': barely large enough for a carry-on bag. The hotel was clean. The stairways and passages were cramped, owing to the age and design of the building. The single bed was comfortable and, despite the room looking out on to Gower Street, it was quiet at night. Breakfast was a little disappointing, having just returned from a hotel in Belgium I had slightly higher expectations of what constitutes a Continental breakfast. A choice of bread rolls would be preferable to rather poor quality sliced bread. Coffee that had been allowed to go cold was less appealing than the Nescafe in the room.